What did people do for snowplows before the internal combustion engine? NT

[raccoon]

[rurallib]

2. Back before there were highways?

[Srkdqltr]

3. They had sleds or stayed home.

Or walked in the snow. There were shovels too.

[marybourg]

5. Yep.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. There were horse drawn snow plows. Search Google images.

[The Wizard]

6. Wait for Spring.

[Throck]

7. Short driveways.

[A HERETIC I AM]

8. Sleighs.

[UpInArms]

9. Here is a site showing a variety of horse drawn snow clearing equipment

http://eaglesfieldpercheronsblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/horse-powered-snow-removal.html


Horse Drawn Snow Plow, Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL (1908)


The first patents for snow plows appeared in the 1840s, but it was several years later that the designs were built and in use.

[MuseRider]

15. How did they do anything?

Horse power.

Also oxen or anything else that could be taught to pull things.

Horses and oxen pulled plows as well as wagons.

Remember our fathers walked 20 miles each way to school through 10 feet of snow with only a hot potato in their pockets to keep them warm. But seriously, if it was bad they probably stayed home or took a shovel?

[UpInArms]

17. The Amish community near me

Does just about everything with horses

It is pretty amazing

[rickford66]

10. My Winters on a PA road.

In the 70's, we had a home, a few miles off the main road in the Poconos. There were homes all along the road. It was rarely plowed and we used chains. I kept a set of tires with chains in the trunk. I'd ride out with them mounted. When I got to a plowed spot, I pulled over and switched to my regular snows. On the way home I reversed the process and mounted the chained pair. More than once, the school bus dropped the kids off a mile or so from their homes and they waded through the snow to get home.

[PCIntern]

11. Wading all uphill both ways I assume!!

😁

[rickford66]

16. Interestingly, we lived at an intersection in a hollow.

So it was uphill in every direction. Neighbors took turns directing traffic so vehicles could get head starts. A few times we traveled in convoys to help each other if we got stuck.

[tymorial]

12. Is this a serious question?

Horses and other draft animals of the way I do it, a shovel.

[raccoon]

13. Yes. In my area if someone sees one snowflake, everything is closed down. Nt

[tymorial]

18. Oh lol

I've been in New England my entire life. Snow is old hat

[PhoenixDem]

14. Shovels?

Before engines and electricity, humanity did have tools.

[Wounded Bear]

19. Manually operated, air cooled...